In 2003, Rutgers law students voted overwhelmingly in favor of establishing a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) to provide financial assistance to help defray law school debt obligations for law school graduates choosing lower paid public interest and public service careers.

Close to sixty law schools now have LRAPs, including the other two New Jersey law schools, Rutgers-Newark and Seton Hall, and other area law schools including Temple University and University of Pennsylvania. Eleven of those fifty-six are state law schools.

All graduates from the Class of 2004 and succeeding classes are eligible if the following criteria is met:
1. the graduate is employed in a law- related public interest position, and
2. the graduate has an adjusted gross income below the salary cap set annually by the LRAP Advisory Committee ("Committee")

Rutgers-Camden uses a broad definition of public interest. All graduates employed in full-time positions with legal aid and other non-profit legal services organizations, and with local, county, state or federal governmental entities are eligible for our LRAP program.  A judicial clerk is not qualifying employment, as it is short term and often leads to high paying positions. However, if a clerk subsequently accepts a qualifying pubic interest position, the time spent in the clerkship will count towards the five years spent in the program for purposes of loan forgiveness.

The salary cap will be determined annually by the Committee, which includes student, faculty and staff representatives. All eligible applicants will receive a proportional share of the funds available in each awarding cycle. The LRAP program currently contributes up to 50% of the graduates' annual debt payment, although it may be less in the future, depending on funds available.

A refundable student fee charged on each term bill will fund the LRAP. This fee is $25/semester for full-time students, $18.75/semester for part-time students. Other university funds have already been committed, and further funding is being sought.

For more complete information, see the Funding Public Interest Page.